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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health

Mental Health in Rural Areas
Policy position paper focused on mental health in rural areas. Discusses barriers and policy recommendations regarding the availability, access, and acceptability of mental health care in rural communities.
Author(s): Brenda Mack, Heather Whetsell, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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PCORI Virtual Briefing on Suicide Prevention in Youth and Young Adults: Watch the Briefing
Discusses suicide risk in young adults and how the issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes expert panel discussion and conversations around increased risk in rural areas, as well as information on PCORI-funded research on youth suicide.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
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Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2013–2019
Examines mental disorders and indicators of poor mental health among children, mental health services for children, and positive indicators of mental health, based on data from nine federal surveillance systems. Includes rural data on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; behavioral or conduct problems; depression; anxiety; autism spectrum disorder; Tourette syndrome; substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and/or illicit drug use disorder; suicidal ideation and suicide attempts; receipt of mental health treatment, services, and medication; and positive indicators of mental health.
Author(s): Rebecca H. Bitsko, Angelika H. Claussen, Jesse Lichstein, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) Supplements, 71(2), 1-42
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Changes in Suicide Rates — United States, 2019 and 2020
Reports counts and age-adjusted suicide rates during 2019 and 2020 for different populations. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas overall and by sex.
Author(s): Daniel C. Ehlman, Ellen Yard, Deborah M. Stone, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(8), 306-312
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Smoking, Rural Residence and Diabetes as Risk Factors for Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome
Investigates how smoking, geographical location, and diabetes impact presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS) and associated choroidal neovascularization (CNV) based on data from 751 adult patients during a 7-year period between January 2013 and December 2019. Includes data predictions to indicate whether there are connections between smoking, diabetes, and rural-urban locations for POHS and for POHS with CNV.
Author(s): Brad Richey, Rachel Obrock, Zachary M. Gee, et al.
Citation: Retina, 42(2), 369-374
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Strategies and Interventions to Reduce Suicide: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summarizes insights from a two-part virtual public workshop focused on suicide prevention interventions. Includes discussion of suicide trends for specific populations. Addresses a wide range of strategies and approaches to meet the needs of different groups, including rural and tribal populations.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Rural Health Research Recap: Opioid Use Disorder and Treatment: Rural-Urban Comparisons
Summary of research on opioid use disorder (OUD) among youth, young adults, and pregnant women, the impact of OUD on hospitals and emergency departments, and the use of buprenorphine and partial psychiatric hospitalization programs as treatment for OUD. Features statistics including population-adjusted emergency department rates per 100 people from 2005-2016 and opioid-related emergency room visit rates per 100,000 people in 2006 and 2013, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural–Urban Differences in Behavioral Outcomes among Adults with Lifetime History of Traumatic Brain Injury with Loss of Consciousness: 2016–2019 Ohio BRFSS
Examines associations between rurality, traumatic brain injury (TBI) with loss of consciousness (LOC), alcohol use, and mental health issues. Includes statistical breakdowns of participants according to gender, age, race, and location, based on data from 16,941 Ohio Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey respondents. Discusses access to healthcare and mental health services in rural and urban locations.
Author(s): Robyn Feiss, John D. Corrigan, Kele Ding, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1678
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial for a Multi-Level, Clinic-Based Smoking Cessation Program with Women in Appalachian Communities: Study Protocol for the "Break Free" Program
Results of a study to increase smoking cessation among women living in rural Appalachia, by embedding a smoking cessation program within a larger cervical cancer prevention program. Uses data from focus groups comprising 510 women from West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia.
Author(s): Joanne G. Patterson, Tia N. Borger, Jessica L. Burris, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 17(11)
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Social Determinants of Mortality of COVID-19 and Opioid Overdose in American Rural and Urban Counties
Highlights a study on the social determinants of health that correlate with high COVID-19 and opioid overdose mortality in rural and urban counties. Breaks down county data by median income, unemployment, and healthcare workforce, among other factors.
Author(s): Yuhui Zhu, Zhe Fei, Larissa J. Mooney, et al.
Citation: Journal of Addiction Medicine, 16(1), e52-e55
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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